Chronic fatigue and colitis

What I don’t understand is I feel tired all the time even when it seems like I am in remission, but I’m not even sure I know when I’m in remission. I thought a flare = blood in the stool, but that’s not always the case with me. The other thing is, I don’t have a severe case of colitis. Mine is in the lower part of my colon and compared to other colitis sufferers, my case is mild. So why am I tired all the time? I’m not anemic. It could be because people with colitis don’t absorb nutrients and that could make me tired. But all my blood tests are normal and my doctor checked my thyroid and that is normal. Also, my hormones are normal. So what’s up with me?

I feel so frustrated because I feel like crap and the doctors can’t find anything really serious, but I’m scared. Who wants to feel tired and crappy all the time? I wonder if it’s a combination of things that are making me feel so sick—colitis, arthritis and moderate allergies (that cause chronic sinusitis) can all cause a person to feel crappy. It’s to the point where I can’t work anymore and I HATE that. I’m even having some mental problems that are freaking me out. Am I depressed? I have no idea. I suppose I could be depressed. I have good cause to be depressed having to deal with not one, but several medical conditions.

I don’t think I eat well either. I keep reading that a person should eat at least nine servings of vegetables a day. Nine? I don’t even eat that much in a day. How am I supposed to get in nine servings of vegetables? Most days I don’t want to eat much at all. Is that the same for most colitis sufferers? I’m trying to make my lunch more nutritional. I told my doctor what I was eating for lunch—crackers with cream cheese and her response was that it wasn’t very nutritional and was more like a snack rather than a meal. Hmm. She’s probably right. I’m trying to make improvements to my lunch by adding some tuna salad instead of cream cheese to the crackers. Crackers feel better on my tummy. The thought of eating nine servings of anything a day makes me feel queasy.

What do people with colitis like to eat?

Colitis Chick

My mad and tired colon

 

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Coping with a Flare

My colon is really mad at me right now. It’s been almost a year since I had my last flare and now here I am dealing with it all over again.

So, how do I cope with diarrhea that doesn’t respond well to regular, over-the-counter drugs? Well, I learned quickly that eating equals diarrhea. Duh. There is one food that seems to be soothing on the tummy and doesn’t move through me too fast—bananas. Not sure why because I read somewhere that bananas are a laxative. Not in my case. And that’s the weird thing about colitis. Everyone responds differently to foods and medications. It’s all about trial and error. Ginger Ale is also soothing to my tummy and helps with gas and bloating. Wheat crackers and strangely, cream cheese, are also foods I can eat when I have a flare. Cheese products and dairy products in general make me feel bloated so I’m not sure why I can eat cream cheese. I do eat the low fat kind so maybe that’s why. And sadly, I have to cut out chocolate during a flare, but I don’t really want chocolate when I’m flaring because my tummy hurts so it’s not too hard. I will make up for it when I feel better. You will learn what you can and can’t eat when flaring and chances are you won’t feel like eating certain foods. That’s your body’s way of telling you which foods are bad for you.

What do I do if I have to travel somewhere? Eek! Having to travel during a flare just plain sucks and is the worst part of having this disease. When I am flaring I have to stay home. There is nothing more embarrassing than having to use a public bathroom when you have explosive diarrhea. But, if I have to go somewhere, I wouldn’t eat or drink much and I would take Pepto-Bismol or Imodium A-D--if I didn’t have a prescription for Lomotil. When I had my first flare and didn’t have a clue what was happening to my body, Pepto-Bismol helped with the cramping and diarrhea. My doctor told me to avoid medicines with magnesium in them like Mylanta. You should always check with your doctor though before taking anything.

Here’s an important reminder: when you have that urge to go, get to the bathroom. This should be common sense, right? Wrong. I don’t know how many times I thought I could keep writing or reading emails a bit longer and then I have to sprint to the bathroom. Not a pretty sight. Me running. I’ve been told by my husband not to run because apparently I run funny. And when I run to the bathroom my dogs think I am playing and run alongside me, barking and trying to cut me off. Very dangerous. And annoying.

Oh, and wear pants that are easy to undo like elastic banded sweat pants. That makes things much more easier during a flare.

The only good side to having a flare is that I will lose some weight, but everything else about it sucks. Now I have to go through six weeks of nightly enemas. Wee! I can’t think of when I had more fun. Oh yeah, last year at about this time. I try to make the best of it because what else am I going to do? I can’t change what is happening to me. And I suppose it could be a lot worse.

Cheers and good health!

Colitis Chick

My mad colon

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